The Prescott Brothers — A Post-Mortem Photograph of Buried Alive (1858): A Chilling Glimpse into Victorian Mourning Practices

In the late 19th century, the Victorians had a deep fascination with death, mourning, and the afterlife. The era was marked by a growing obsession with post-mortem photography — a practice where deceased individuals were photographed, often in lifelike poses, to serve as a final memento for grieving families. But one photograph, taken in 1858, remains one of the most disturbing and haunting examples of this dark tradition: the photograph of the Prescott Brothers, who were buried alive.

The photograph, taken by an unknown photographer, is a grim reminder of a tragedy that would forever change the Prescott family. The two brothers, Thomas and William Prescott, were buried alive after a fatal accident. The brothers, who were in their mid-20s, were involved in a tragic mining disaster in Prescott, Arizona. When the mine collapsed, the brothers were presumed dead, along with several others, as the mine was sealed shut and all attempts to retrieve the bodies failed.

In the days following the collapse, a post-mortem photograph was taken of the two brothers — lying in their graves, as if peacefully resting, in what can only be described as a cruel twist of fate. The photograph depicts the brothers in death, surrounded by their family members, who were present to witness the grim spectacle. Their eyes, lifeless and closed, seem almost to stare into the abyss of eternity.

The question that has haunted generations of historians and those who study the dark side of Victorian mourning practices: Were the Prescott brothers actually dead when they were buried? The answer, tragically, appears to be no. Evidence later revealed that, while the brothers were initially declared dead, they were not truly gone when they were sealed into their graves. They had been buried alive.

The Prescott Brothers’ story, along with the chilling photograph, became a symbol of the fear Victorians had of premature burial, a fear that was so prevalent in the era that special “safety coffins” were created. These coffins featured mechanisms that would allow a person to signal for help if they had been mistakenly buried while still alive — a nightmare scenario that had become a real, albeit rare, concern.

The haunting image of the Prescott Brothers continues to raise questions and evoke a deep sense of unease. While some suggest it was a staged photograph — a morbidly artistic take on a family tragedy — others claim it was a genuine attempt to memorialize the brothers in a way that reflected the era’s obsession with death and the macabre.

Whatever the truth behind the photograph, the image of the Prescott Brothers buried alive remains a chilling artifact of the 19th century. It serves as a reminder of a time when death was an ever-present specter, and the fear of being buried alive was a very real, very human terror.